I can remember when it was tough to figure out how to get a freelance writing gig. You typed and physically mailed query letters to editors, mostly. Or went to a lot of Chamber of Commerce meetings, hoping to meet marketing managers.

Now, of course, if you have an Internet connection, job listings are hard to avoid. Online job ads are everywhere! But finding one that pays anything substantial — and getting hired — isn’t always easy.

I hear from tons of writers who’ve had job-hunting experiences like this Freelance Writers Den member recently did:

“What am I doing wrong? I’ve applied and applied for online writing jobs, but I don’t get any response, ever.”–Hannah

As it happens, there is an art to getting a response from an online writing job-ad poster. I know because when I started freelancing in 2005, I started reading those Craigslist ads, just like everybody else.

Sometimes it’s a little thing. Sometimes a huge mental shift. But at some point, every freelance writer gets a few pieces of advice that change everything. For me, it was probably the first time I got an article killed —…

The key thing about writing is that it takes a lot of mental energy. Your friends and relatives may *think* you’re doing nothing, but you and I know you’re sweating yourself into a near-coronary trying to craft those words. And…